Only a CBI Investigation Can Uncover the Truth: Karnataka BJP on Siddaramaiah's Clean Chit in MUDA Scandal

Bengaluru, Feb 19 (NationPress) In response to the Karnataka Lokayukta's decision to give a clean chit to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) fraud case, the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserted on Wednesday that only a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry can uncover the true facts.

During a media interaction in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka remarked: "This is a conspiracy to obscure the truth. Police officials, seeking transfers and promotions, have provided the clean chit in exchange. The truth can solely emerge through a CBI probe. The Lokayukta's report conveniently shifts blame onto the officials while depicting CM Siddaramaiah’s family as innocent. This isn't merely a clean chit; the officials have absolved their wrongdoings.

"If there was nothing amiss in the case, why did CM Siddaramaiah engage costly, high-profile lawyers? The case could have been managed by local attorneys. This is a premeditated report. If he was innocent, why were 14 sites returned? The Lokayukta asserts that A1 (CM Siddaramaiah), A2 (his spouse B.M. Parvathi), and A3 (his brother-in-law Mallikarjunaswamy) are not culpable."

Criticizing the Karnataka Chief Minister further, the BJP leader added: "The layout and land transfer represent a scam, yet the Lokayukta claims ignorance. CM Siddaramaiah is no fool to get ensnared directly in the scandal - he has neither made a call nor penned a letter.

"We are profoundly dissatisfied with the Lokayukta's conclusion, but Congress leaders are even more troubled. Aspirants for the Chief Minister role have lost sleep over this. Their ambitions have been dashed. We are convening a meeting in Bengaluru on Thursday to deliberate on the MUDA case."

In the meantime, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, insisted that a CBI inquiry would reveal the illegalities surrounding the MUDA scam.

"The Congress' aversion to a CBI probe is perplexing. What about the CBI investigations conducted during Congress rule? Did they exploit the agency?" he queried.

"Our struggle against the MUDA scam will persist. We will confer within the party on how to advance the matter legally and determine our subsequent steps. We marched from Bengaluru to Mysuru, CM Siddaramaiah's birthplace, demanding justice. Initially, he asserted he had no links to the MUDA issue. Subsequently, he returned 14 sites, and now the Lokayukta has exonerated him. Where's the justice in this? This outcome was anticipated," Narayanaswamy stated.

"We have consistently maintained that unless the case is transferred to the CBI, the truth will remain concealed. CM Siddaramaiah even approached the court to obstruct a CBI investigation. He enlisted top legal minds and incurred substantial expenses to contest the inquiry. He should have resigned when the allegations emerged. This case has been systematically suppressed," he claimed.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his relatives have received a clean chit from the Karnataka Lokayukta concerning the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scandal.

The Karnataka Lokayukta, which examined the matter, has granted a clean chit to CM Siddaramaiah and the other implicated parties.

This was communicated in a notice to the petitioner, Snehamayi Krishna, on Wednesday.

The Lokayukta has directed Snehamayi Krishna to approach the magistrate within a week of receiving the notice if he wishes to contest the findings.